Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Almost FREE POINTS from IHG! The IHG Priceless Surprises promotion permits 94 mail in entries and each entry earns a minimum of 500 points. Filling out 94 3x5 cards and envalopes by hand is time consuming, but not the worst way to kill time on a flight. Good luck and get them in the mail soon, entries must be postmarked by February 15.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Ever see a news story with an overly dated photo? It happens all the time, like the one below. Spirit Airlines is an all Airbus airline and this was several logos ago. Alaska is all 737 so seeing an MD-80 in Alaska colors is also frustrating. It's not hard to obtain newer images. I could sell you some even.

Thursday, January 14, 2016

If you are so emotionally fragile that you need a comfort animal companion (like a turkey), you are too emotionally fragile to fly. You are a safety hazard to everyone else on the plane because if you are barely hanging on in normal operations, you could fall apart in an emergency and block, delay, or otherwise hinder the egress of other passengers. Stay home, drive, or get yourself together enough to fly without an emotional support animal.

A Lower Bar Every Day

Part of me hopes this guy was trying to make a mockery of the emotional support animal system rather than needing one or wanting to save $150 on checking a turkey round trip. I doubt it, but am still an optimist being bludgeoned by reality.

Monday, January 11, 2016

Spirit Airlines switched CEO's last week. They haven't been running a good operation or growing outside the south and east much, but that still puts them in the top tier or US airlines. They brought in the former CEO of AirTran (nee Value Jet) who lead them through their sale to Southwest. This got bloggers talking about Spirit and Frontier merging. I think a merger isn't the goal because AirTran ran a solid operation and Spirit needs help there most.

Friday, January 8, 2016

What card should I pick up? I'm torn between the Fairmont, Sapphire, and Alaska Airlines cards. You can only pick one up ever 3 or 4 months, so I need to use this strategically. The Alaska card has no minimum spend requirement while the other cards are $3,000 and $4,000.

Saturday, January 2, 2016

Note: I am NOT compensated for this post.With Fairmont being absorbed by Accor Hotels, the Fairmont card from Chase is only viable for a short while longer, but I am tempted to get one. I have until Jan 31, 2016 to decide.Pros:

No annual fee in the first year, and presumably only year, of card membership.

Fairmont status boost to the middle level.

No foreign transaction fees.

Cons:

Though not officially impossible, don't plan to enjoy a free night at The Plaza or The Savoy.

Chase's Fairmont points program is separate from Fairmont's President Club program. The Chase points must be redeemed through Chase. The award chart is miserable too. Expect a $25 gift card. Free nights start at $25,000 in spending.

Twists:

If your +1 gets the card too, then you have 4 nights and that could make for a nice long weekend in Barbados, Europe, or Canada.

The merger hasn't been approved by regulators, but this is much less risky than the SPG-Marriott union.